US3998329A - Card sorting apparatus - Google Patents

Card sorting apparatus Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US3998329A
US3998329A US05/584,114 US58411475A US3998329A US 3998329 A US3998329 A US 3998329A US 58411475 A US58411475 A US 58411475A US 3998329 A US3998329 A US 3998329A
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
card
path
information
feeding path
stacker
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Expired - Lifetime
Application number
US05/584,114
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Kenzo Araya
Takashi Hashimoto
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Tanaka Seiki Co Ltd
Original Assignee
Tanaka Seiki Co Ltd
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Tanaka Seiki Co Ltd filed Critical Tanaka Seiki Co Ltd
Application granted granted Critical
Publication of US3998329A publication Critical patent/US3998329A/en
Anticipated expiration legal-status Critical
Expired - Lifetime legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06K—GRAPHICAL DATA READING; PRESENTATION OF DATA; RECORD CARRIERS; HANDLING RECORD CARRIERS
    • G06K13/00—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism
    • G06K13/02—Conveying record carriers from one station to another, e.g. from stack to punching mechanism the record carrier having longitudinal dimension comparable with transverse dimension, e.g. punched card
    • G06K13/08—Feeding or discharging cards
    • G06K13/12—Feeding or discharging cards from conveying arrangement to magazine
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H33/00—Forming counted batches in delivery pile or stream of articles
    • B65H33/06—Forming counted batches in delivery pile or stream of articles by displacing articles to define batches
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING OR CALCULATING; COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F7/00—Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled
    • G06F7/06—Arrangements for sorting, selecting, merging, or comparing data on individual record carriers
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B65—CONVEYING; PACKING; STORING; HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL
    • B65H—HANDLING THIN OR FILAMENTARY MATERIAL, e.g. SHEETS, WEBS, CABLES
    • B65H2301/00—Handling processes for sheets or webs
    • B65H2301/40—Type of handling process
    • B65H2301/42—Piling, depiling, handling piles
    • B65H2301/421—Forming a pile
    • B65H2301/4214—Forming a pile of articles on edge
    • B65H2301/42142—Forming a pile of articles on edge by introducing articles from beneath

Definitions

  • This invention relates to an apparatus and its system for sorting, among plural cards each with coded information, a card or cards with a specified information.
  • the card selector system for the cards with necessary data.
  • cards are separated into cards with desired information (hereinafter referred to as YES card) and those without such desired information (hereinafter referred to as NO card), thus necessitating two separate card stackers.
  • NO card desired information
  • coded information on the cards to be fed one by one from the card hopper is read or sensed at a card reading or sensing station provided at a card feeding path, and the YES cards are stacked into one of the card stackers while the NO cards into the other stacker.
  • Another selecting system has been proposed wherein cards are sorted into plural card pockets according to the read or sensed information.
  • It is further detailed object of the present invention is to provide a card sorting apparatus and its system wherein the cards are stacked into a single card stacker maintaining the original card order but into two shifted positions.
  • cards contained in a card hopper are fed one by one from the card hopper into the final card stacker along the card feeding path.
  • a card sensing or reading station is provided where information on each card is read as a YES card or a NO card.
  • the read card is then fed either to a first path or to a second path according to the information born on the card, the two paths being slightly shifted from each other.
  • the card is stacked into the card stacker holding the shifted position from another kind of (YES or NO) card. Therefore the YES cards and NO cards are stacked in the card stacker in a clearly shifted position from each other. And moreover the order of cards stacked is same as that of the cards in the card hopper before they are treated.
  • the operator of the apparatus can see the proportion of YES and NO cards in the stacker immediately, and the next operation may be started by feeding these cards again from the card hopper. After repeating the operation the order of cards does not change.
  • the first operation may be to see the proportion, to all of the cards, of the cards of customers being male who already bought a certain goods, and the next operation may be to see the number of customers of female who bought another goods.
  • the system of this invention may further include or combine any additional treating system or systems on the selected card or using the selected card at the card feeding path.
  • the system may further be so constructed that the data on the selected card may be read; the data may be transferred to other data processing unit; or the data of the selected card may be printed to a required sheet or the like. It will be understood that thus further treated and non-treated cards may be shifted from each other but are stacked in the card stacker in the order as accumulated in the card hopper.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the apparatus according to the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1,
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the card path shifting rollers used in the apparatus according to the present invention.
  • FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the card path shifting mechanism
  • FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing the relation of the shifting roller assembly and the shifting roller driving assembly, being a view cut along the line 5--5 of FIG. 3.
  • 1 denotes a card hopper where cards 13 to be sorted are accumulated.
  • a feeding pawl 11 which feeds cards out of the card hopper 1 one by one by its swinging movement through a gate 14 which is defined by a standing plate or hopper wall 12 and a lower support 15.
  • the card 13 from the hopper 1 is then forwarded into a card feeding path 2 through a pair of feeding rollers 16, 16'.
  • a card reading or sensing station 4 comprising means which detects photoelectrically coded information on the card, compares the information with the specified information and generates a signal at the time when the card does not bear a desired coded data, namely if the card is a NO card.
  • the station 4 may further include means to read other coded information from YES or NO card thus sensed.
  • the card which passes the reading station 4 is then advanced to a pair of feeding rollers 17,17' and further to a pair of third rollers or card path shifting rollers 18,18'.
  • the rollers 18, 18' can move between two positions, one as shown in real lines and another as shown in chain lines in FIG. 2.
  • the rollers 18, 18' return to the original position shown in real line.
  • the NO cards are thus stacked in the card stacker 3 at somewhat shifted position laterally from the YES cards while keeping the original order as they are accumulated in the card hopper.
  • the shifted line for NO cards is shown as NO in FIG. 2 while the YES line is shown as YES.
  • FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 are side frames of the card sorting apparatus according to the present invention.
  • an upper roller shaft 23 whose side ends are fixed with washers, thus preventing its axial movement.
  • a pair of support members 36, 37 are provided above the both ends of the shaft 23 .
  • Pins mounted at right angles to the support members 36, 37 are inserted into the holes 38, 39 at the both ends of the shaft 23 and prevent rotation of the shaft 23.
  • springs 40, 41 to urge the shaft 23 downwardly.
  • an axially movable sleeve 25 where are provided a pair of radial contact ball bearings 18, 18 forming rollers 18, 18.
  • a flange 29 To the right hand (in FIG. 3) of the sleeve 25 is fixed a flange 29.
  • a slot 18a is provided in the shaft 23.
  • a pin 27 is inserted into the slot 18a radially through the sleeve 25 and the flange 29.
  • a peripheral groove 29a is provided around the outer surface of the flange 29a.
  • a lower roller shaft 22 is rotatably mounted on a pair of bearings 43, 44 provided on the side frames 34 and 35, respectively. At one end of the shaft 22 is mounted a gear 42 to be engaged with another gear, not shown, in order to transmit rotation to the shaft 22.
  • a sleeve 24 To the shaft 22 is slidably mounted a sleeve 24, where are provided a pair of rollers 18', 18' of resilient material, such as rubber, corresponding to the pair of radial contact ball bearings 18, 18. To the right end of the sleeve 24 is mounted a pipe constituting a flange 28 having a peripheral groove 28a therearound.
  • the flange 28 and the sleeve 24 are fixed with a pin 26 which passes through a slot 22a of the shaft 22.
  • the sleeve 24 is constructed as slidable axially to the shaft 22 and also as being rotated following the rotation of the shaft 22.
  • FIGS. 4 and 5 show the relation of the card path shifting mechanism according to this invention and means for driving the shifting mechanism.
  • the means for driving the mechanism shown includes a rotary solenoid 30 and an arm 31 which swings when the rotary solenoid is actuated.
  • To the leading end of the arm 31 are mounted a radial contact ball bearing 33 and a pin 32 connected between the grooves 29a and 28a of the flanges 29, 28, respectively of the above referred to shifting mechanism. Therefore the outer size of the bearing 33 is smaller than the width of the groove 28a.
  • the swinging arm 31 rotates approximately 30° to the direction marked A, and the arm returns to its original position by means of a spring, not shown, as soon as the deactuation of the solenoid.
  • the rotary solenoid 30 is actuated, in response to the NO signal generated from the card reading station 4, when the trailing edge of the NO card is disengaged from the rollers 17, 17'.
  • the solenoid 30 is deactuated when the NO card is disengaged from the rollers 18, 18'. It will be realized that the rotating angle of the arm 31 corresponds to the length of the slots 18a and 22a where the pins 27 and 26 respectively move.
  • the card disengaged from the rollers 18, 18' is fed into the card stacker 3 by means of the fourth rollers 19, 19'.
  • 20 is an idle roller and the roller 20 is fixed at the upper part of the card stacker 3.
  • L-shaped member 21 is an abutting member for limiting the upper position of the cards being stacked in the card stacker.
  • a block 6 in the card stacker 3 and a plate 5 fixed thereto are constructed as to retreat when the cards are fed into the card stacker 3, in order to keep a space at the inlet of the card stacker 3 for receiving cards thereinto.
  • the card supplied from the card hopper 1 one by one is forwarded to the card reading station 4 by means of the first rollers 16, 16', where necessary data on the card is read. If the card is a NO card, the card path is shifted into the NO path at the card path shifting mechanism and stacked into the NO line, 10a, of the card stacker 10. If the card is a YES card, it is guided into the card stacker 3 without shifting its path, and stacked along the YES line in the stacker 3.
  • the cards are stacked in a single card stacker without changing the original order, in the form of clearly shifted position from each other. It will be therefore easily understood that since it is not necessary to prepare plural stackers for YES and NO cards, the size of the whole apparatus becomes small.
  • the present system may be combined with additional system on either of or the other of the cards to be sorted. For example, if another reading station is provided other than or within the station 4 for reading other information born in the YES card, such as summing the stored information, the proportion of the sum of the YES cards to the whole cards may be estimated. As mentioned above, if the cards include master addresses therein, the printing means may be combined, where the master address of either YES or NO card may be printed to any desired sheet, envelope or the like.
  • the preferred embodiment is constructed as to shift the NO cards, but it is of course possible to construct the apparatus to shift YES cards in lieu of the NO cards.
  • selected cards may be shifted by any other means, such as kicking the selected cards at their side portions by a pin or the like which is actuated by the electromagnetic device into the shifted line in the card feeding path.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Conveying Record Carriers (AREA)
  • Forming Counted Batches (AREA)
  • Delivering By Means Of Belts And Rollers (AREA)
US05/584,114 1974-06-26 1975-06-05 Card sorting apparatus Expired - Lifetime US3998329A (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
JA49-72232 1974-06-26
JP7223274A JPS5543538B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1974-06-26 1974-06-26

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US3998329A true US3998329A (en) 1976-12-21

Family

ID=13483307

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US05/584,114 Expired - Lifetime US3998329A (en) 1974-06-26 1975-06-05 Card sorting apparatus

Country Status (8)

Country Link
US (1) US3998329A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
JP (1) JPS5543538B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
BE (1) BE830683A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CA (1) CA1008809A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
CH (1) CH593106A5 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
DE (1) DE2526474A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
FR (1) FR2276632A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
NL (1) NL7507468A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3104063A1 (de) * 1980-02-11 1982-02-04 Savin Corp., 10595 Valhalla, N.Y. Transportvorrichtung fuer papierblaetter u.dgl.
US4635920A (en) * 1984-07-20 1987-01-13 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Selective sheet loading apparatus
EP0376463A3 (en) * 1988-12-28 1991-03-20 Pitney Bowes, Inc. Code break mechanism for stacking apparatus
DE4013109A1 (de) * 1990-04-25 1991-10-31 Adp Automaten Gmbh Vorrichtung zum sortieren von banknoten unterschiedlichen nennwerts in unterschiedliche faecher einer einrichtung zur aufnahme von sortierten banknoten
US5244344A (en) * 1988-12-28 1993-09-14 Pitney Bowes Inc. Code break mechanism for stacking apparatus
US5545381A (en) * 1991-01-31 1996-08-13 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Device for regenerating printed sheet-like recording medium
US5735009A (en) * 1994-10-14 1998-04-07 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Device for removing a substance deposited on a sheet

Families Citing this family (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPS5727070Y2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) * 1976-12-28 1982-06-12
DE2734371C2 (de) * 1977-07-29 1979-07-12 Feller Ag, Horgen (Schweiz) Verfahren zur Blattförderung bei einer automatischen Leseeinrichtung und Vorrichtung zur Ausführung des Verfahrens
JPS576984A (en) * 1980-06-16 1982-01-13 Fujitsu Ltd Punched card retrieving/extracting system
JPS61180679A (ja) * 1985-02-06 1986-08-13 Kawasaki Heavy Ind Ltd ボツクス柱の製造方法

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3301550A (en) * 1965-04-27 1967-01-31 Benz & Hilgers G M B H Apparatus for the production of a lateral spacing between a plurality of adjacent cuts produced by longitudinal and cross cutting of a length of material
US3460673A (en) * 1967-06-19 1969-08-12 Recognition Equipment Inc Document sorting apparatus

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3301550A (en) * 1965-04-27 1967-01-31 Benz & Hilgers G M B H Apparatus for the production of a lateral spacing between a plurality of adjacent cuts produced by longitudinal and cross cutting of a length of material
US3460673A (en) * 1967-06-19 1969-08-12 Recognition Equipment Inc Document sorting apparatus

Cited By (13)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
DE3104063A1 (de) * 1980-02-11 1982-02-04 Savin Corp., 10595 Valhalla, N.Y. Transportvorrichtung fuer papierblaetter u.dgl.
US4480825A (en) * 1980-02-11 1984-11-06 Savin Corporation Sheet set separator for electrophotographic copier
US4635920A (en) * 1984-07-20 1987-01-13 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Selective sheet loading apparatus
EP0376463A3 (en) * 1988-12-28 1991-03-20 Pitney Bowes, Inc. Code break mechanism for stacking apparatus
US5244344A (en) * 1988-12-28 1993-09-14 Pitney Bowes Inc. Code break mechanism for stacking apparatus
DE4013109A1 (de) * 1990-04-25 1991-10-31 Adp Automaten Gmbh Vorrichtung zum sortieren von banknoten unterschiedlichen nennwerts in unterschiedliche faecher einer einrichtung zur aufnahme von sortierten banknoten
US5545381A (en) * 1991-01-31 1996-08-13 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Device for regenerating printed sheet-like recording medium
US5612766A (en) * 1991-01-31 1997-03-18 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Device for regenerating printed sheet-like recording medium
USRE37197E1 (en) * 1991-01-31 2001-05-29 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Device for regenerating printed sheet-like recording medium
US5735009A (en) * 1994-10-14 1998-04-07 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Device for removing a substance deposited on a sheet
US5855734A (en) * 1994-10-14 1999-01-05 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Device for removing a substance deposited on a sheet
US6143091A (en) * 1994-10-14 2000-11-07 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Method for removing a substance deposited on a sheet
US6189173B1 (en) 1994-10-14 2001-02-20 Ricoh Company, Ltd. Device for removing a substance deposited on a sheet

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
FR2276632B1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1980-09-12
FR2276632A1 (fr) 1976-01-23
JPS5543538B2 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1980-11-06
DE2526474A1 (de) 1976-01-15
NL7507468A (nl) 1975-12-30
CA1008809A (en) 1977-04-19
BE830683A (fr) 1975-10-16
CH593106A5 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1977-11-30
JPS513300A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1976-01-12

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US3998329A (en) Card sorting apparatus
GB2090454A (en) Modularized ticket handling system for use in automatic ticket preparation system
EP0175023B1 (en) Sheet feeding apparatus
GB2103585A (en) A page turning apparatus
US3033445A (en) Document handling apparatus
US5117266A (en) Recirculating document handler and image forming apparatus equipped therewith
DE1106540B (de) Transporteinrichtung zum schuppenfoermigen Aufreihen von Lochkarten od. dgl.
US6705603B1 (en) Binding apparatus
DE69105840T2 (de) Transport-Einrichtung und Sortierer dafür.
US3984094A (en) Separator card retriever
US4925178A (en) Device for conveying sheets with intersecting conveyor paths
US4535892A (en) Modularized ticket handling system for use in automatic ticket preparation system
US3100113A (en) Check feeding and alining mechanism
EP0409309B1 (en) Apparatus for recirculating originals
US5088722A (en) Diverter assembly
US3669537A (en) Automatic copying and binding machine
US3685819A (en) Sheet distributing device
GB2113187A (en) Apparatus for detecting the passage of multiple superposed documents along a feed path
US3015486A (en) Sheet aligning apparatus
DE3324996A1 (de) Geraet zum beidseitigen aufzeichnen
US3974951A (en) Printer mechanism
JPS6045097B2 (ja) 用紙反転搬送装置
JPS5822253A (ja) 画像形成装置
US3873083A (en) Apparatus for distributing and sorting discharged sheets
GB841764A (en) Improvements in record card collating machines